History of Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk(correctly pronounced as 'Nor-fuck' or 'Nah-fuck') is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States|United States of America. With a population of 234,403 as of the United States Census 2000|2000 census, Norfolk is one of Virginia's largest incorporated cities.
Norfolk is located in Hampton Roads, a large harbor|natural harbor located at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Norfolk is one of nine cities and seven counties that constitute the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, officially known as the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA. The city is bordered to the west by the Elizabeth River (Virginia)|Elizabeth River and to the north by the Chesapeake Bay. It also shares land borders with the independent cities of Chesapeake, Virginia|Chesapeake to its south and Virginia Beach to its east. One of the older of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, Norfolk is considered to be the historic, urban, financial, and cultural center of the region.
The city has a long history as a strategic military and transportation point. Norfolk is home to both the Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk Naval Base, the world's largest naval base, and corporate headquarters of the Norfolk Southern Railway, a Fortune 500 company which is one of North America's principal Class I railroads. As it is surrounded by multiple bodies of water, Norfolk has many miles of riverfront and bayfront property, and is linked with its neighbors by an extensive network of Interstate Highway System|Interstate highways, bridges, tunnels, and bridge-tunnel complexes.
source Wikipedia